alun j.

Grabbed a few hours at start of the tide this morning : interested to fnd where to avoid weed [ following recent reports ]. Quickly stocked up with mackeral for bait...... then the 'algal test' ! Close in and up yo half way along weed made fishing , ineffective ??? [ or choose suitable adjective !!]....... but, further out, although a bit troublesome, fishing was much less affected .......... ...... in a couple of hours managed half a dozen good sized bream [2. 5 lbs. ]. Alun.

Hi James, What a mysterious place / area the Ledge is !! I've only been fishing it for the past two years and find the combination of changing tidal flow and fantastically varying topography a real challenge and endlessly fascinating ...... would love to do a trip along it in a mini - submarine when the water was clear!! [ but it would need to be well powered in those tides....... and able to avoid all the pots, ropes and buoys ]. Strange the occurance or not of weed ...... sorry you got it Mon.; I was out yesterday morning [ probably the next tide after you ] and had hardly any! but the tide was screaming along ... and burying lots of buoys under the surface...real hazard! Plenty of mackeral ........ esp. closer in ..... but failed to connect with any bass. Most bream were tiddly; close in hordes of little bait robbers, few further out. Pollack [mostly small] and lots of pout . I'd like to find out more about the sole fishing...... do you go over towards Barton, worm baits??? do you have to fish at night for them ? Any tips gratefully received. Cheers, Alun.

and ........... at the other extreme............ I have a TWO gallon tank ...... have never used more than 1/2 on any trip [including trip to Shambles, which involved lots of moving back uptide after drift] with my 4 stroke Yamaha 15; sometimes leave it ticking over continuously but......... little boats don't like waves and get cramped if you've company rapid in /out often suits me !! ..... and it's cheap but still gets plenty of sport/ dinners!! Alun.

First proper day's fishing of my holidays....... so nice to slide out at full speed and off to the Ledge to get some mackeral [ easy ... 10 mins for about 20 ]. Never that keen fishing the western side on the ebb ..... so went out to 'X-ray' [thanks James, for guide] hoping to find main ingredient for 'raie au beurre noir' [one of my favourites ( and Rick Stein's)]..... but this was dogfish city; every drop, within a few mins. ; nonetheless these were big dogfish [ some of the biggest I've seen] and almost a fight from some!! James said to persevere.....I did for two hours and about 60 dogs later ..... but no rays. Next tried near the end of the Ledge [ my little boat can whizz along at 20 mph. on nice calm water .... even ate my lunch as I travelled] .....slack water , drifted with Hokais and found plenty of pollack , but all small. Anchored as soon as tide started but only got hordes of pout,rattles from tiddly bream and masses of snags in rough bottom. Moved back inshore , west side where the ledge drops steeply, about 1/2 way along....... site of much past success....... but unfishable with huge amounts of weed...... great lengths of kelp included!!........ so went back out and tried hooking up to pot buoy at several spots to find somewhere not too rough and out of weed flow........ second try proved ideal [ 3/4 way out] and straight into best bream fishing for me this year ... 6 fish between 2 and 3 pounds plus a few smaller ones and a bass for a bonus ........ NO DOGS ........!!!! Together with fresh mackeral for dinner...... could only just manage to lift cool box out of boat at end of day ..... must sort out the freezer....am rapidly stocking up enough mackeral for winter [ ran out last year by jan. ]. Happy filleting....... Alun.

Hi James, Can you give me a clue where ' X-ray ' might be ?? would fancy the chance of catching a ray or two as a change from bream [ which don't seem to be so abundant this year ]. Had a good session last summer out of Weymouth, near the Ringstead Ledges, with a mixed catch of rays and bass but haven't found the dustbin lids in abundance down this end........ have I been missing out ?? Alun.

Just returned from a long anticipated session on the Ledge.... given the prospect of calm sea and warm sunshine by forecast. Started calm enough but soon clouded over; mackeral a bit hard to find at first, but got enough working out to deeper water. Anchored at good looking spot, fair tide running but soon got bogged down with weed [ even on the east flowing stream]. Picked up some more mackeral and came inshore near lookout; less weed but baits robbed by small bream and pout..... no takers on live joeys. Then the wind started to freshen..... 2 became a 3, then 4 and by two o' clock was touching 5 [ this is when the waves and white horses hit the boat , often a bit sideways on , and start splashing me ......... and when I go home !!]. At least, riding the waves in is a bit of fun. Total : some nice mackeral for supper, some more to freeze for autumn / winter and plenty of bites with the tiddlers ...... but not what I expected! Looking ahead..... Tuesday could be better... and small tides may let the weed settle ?????? Tight lines, hope you fared more successfully, Alun.

Replies : No, I don't have a new boat but my neighbour does.......... an Explorer Elite, very much like a Warrior 165, the covered 'cabin' area is a bit longer and not as tall; goes like a rocket with 60 hp. pushing it up on the plane. We went out yesterday with a friend who does have a Warrior and knew the fishing at Kimmeridge.......but ended up at Portland...two boat fleet. Castletown is free......but short, narrow and steep...ish!! , busy with divers [ who, in my limited experience, are friendly, polite and helpful !! eg. trailer handle smacked my neighbour friend on the nose / upper jaw as we launched [ due to steepness of slip [good name] and lack of experience ] , nosebleed, concusion and a dunk in the sea nearly ruled the trip out ...... divers must have included both doctors and nurses as poor Neil got more attention than if we'd taken him to Dorchester hospital !!]]. Parking is free if you can find a space on the road ....... but there is a pay & display close by. I have managed Castletown with my little Orkney 440 pulled by my Golf quite easily and it's much easier with tide covering the horrible step at the bottom .... why can't they make slips long enough...... cf. Lymington, Wick, Lake , Mudeford and probably most others ......can't be concrete technology's the problem ! Neil's friend had the big 4 x 4, needed to pull each boat out in turn. How heavy are your Warriors laden up with engines, fuel and gear [even the anchor is three times the size of mine on 440 !] ?? ... even that 4 x 4 {fontera} had to heave some and pulled the rope so tight onto the towball it was hard to get off !!! Where to next ??? Hard to beat Mudeford and the Ledge on a nice summers morning [ or a calm winters day] !! Tight lines, Alun

After weeks of postponements with bad weather, wasn't at all sure of the prospects for today after yesterday's continued blow. So a 7 am. start at Kimmeridge looked ominous ..... heavy grey skies, cool breeze and unfriendly swell over unseen rocks !! Always seeking a more comfortable fishing session , suggested the protection of Portland and after a long trip back to Wareham and around the coast , launched at Castletown into calm water. Fished the Hood with usual results ...... mackeral and pollack ; but as the sea outside the harbour was getting flatter by the minute, motored across the bay to Ringstead where I had some nice rays last summer ........ but not today !!!... dogfish and more dogfish; a few more mackeral and one nice bass [ about 4 lbs.]; this was on whole mackeral...... but the same rig also caught dogfish !! first time I've caught doggies on whole 1/2 pound mackeral !! Return / retrieve from Castletown [ lowish water] quite tricky with the sharp step at the end of the concrete ramp! This and the steepness, required mate's 4 x 4 to pull Warrior and similar out of the hardcore ......... was much easier last time in my little Orkney 440. Weather cheered up enormosly.......could this be signs of summer returning?? Tight lines. Alun.

Good luck lads........ but looks like blowing up 4 or more tomorrow!! 15 mph winds at least!! With my misses away in Spain on hols., I was looking forward to an extra - full weekend afloat....... ....... watched the trees settle in the gentlest breeze and the warm sun made me rush from work on Fri pm., hitch up the trailer ......but when I got to Mudeford all I saw was dancing waves and white horses; with a cool wind making the mast stays tink/tinking....... everyone looked pretty cold......so came straight back home !! Wind and rain today....... and more wind tomorrow....... I'm giving up till those lazy, hazy days of summer return!...... obviously got spoilt last weekend. Tight lines, Alun.

......and loads of mackeral.......but not so many bream !! Lovely morning.....bit chilly to start with in the shorts... but nice and calm with an offshore northwesterly [and this does pin you into the warming sunbeams!] Mackeral everywhere on the flooding tide....... they disappear/ thin out later, at the top of the tide....... Difficult to contact bream with mackeral hitting the fish strips...... then those bream there tending to be the little 'nippers'...too small to snatch the 1/0 hooks.... ...... but the bonus is three, hard fighting bass.....up to four pounds....great sport on the bream tackle. Wish I could get out again tomorrow! Cheers and tight lines, Alun. PS. thanks for the birthday greetings yesterday !...

PS, Additional to above comments; at this time of year, with plenty of mackeral around, I find good sized macky strip , cut on the diagonal, on a size 1 or 1/0 picks up better sized bream [ and occasional bass ] better than rag and avoids the pesky wrasse. Fish two , pennel style, with a small weight lobbed away from boat and slowly rolling around in the tide....... most tricky thing is finding a clear spot near the rough ground to avoid losing too much tackle.... but go 'rotten bottom' just in case, Tight lines, Alun.

Variety seems the spice of life !! All these rigs catch the greedy bream..... my preference is simplicity...... light running ledger, 5-6 ft. of lighter line [ rotten bottom] and a couple of 1/0 Aberdeen hooks [ cheap, soft ones that will bend free] tied Pennel style...... and big fat rag for bait now and mackeral strip later in May. I think it's more important to where the fish are......... close to the edge of steep rocky ledges, gulleys or other ' holding ' submarine features. In slack tides, anchored up , ground - baiting will help ..... any thing edible / smelly ! Tight lines, Alun.

Hey Loyal Royal........... what a good looking boat !! Nice to [ almost ] bump into you over the Hood!....... after a brilliant day, where I learnt a lot after my first adventure to the Shambles ! Who needs a chart......... head for the boat park.......... over 30 out there on Sat. Then do you look at the swells or the patterns on the Fishfinder ?? Quickly got the hang of the dragged weight ; but found matching weight on trace to speed of water more tricky !! 4 or 5 hours learning....... brought us just 3 plaice of no great size ! Back at Portland..... surprised to see some early fat [ I mean BIG] mackeral, but only smallish pollack Good day out in that super weather............. and good to catch up with an old friend , who showed me how to launch at Castletown..... for free !! Talked briefly to a diver ,on return, who had loads more plaice than us.... speared right near the harbour arms....... and loads of scallops to boot!!!!...... perhaps I'll change hobbies ! Managed to grab a couple of hours today as well......... out to the Ledge..... 10 mins. there [ from home! ] ........ got 5 nice pollack [ 2 - 3 lbers.] and a couple of those fat mackeral again!....... is summer coming early ?? ...... water temp. rising rapidly..... into double figures now !! Tight lines, Alun J.

Paul, How about coming over to Weymouth?? Weather looks beautiful........ and I think I might need a few tips!!! ...... would love to get a couple of nice fat turbot.... but will settle for some big plaice to make the trip worthwhile !! Alun.

I'm planning on taking my little boat over to Weymouth on Sat. with a view to tripping out to the Shambles bank [ weather permitting - forecast looks good !] Neap tide, light airs ..... any tips ????? I expect there'll be several boats in the area to aim for !! Slowed drifting [ tripped anchor / extra chain] is what I've picked up from your comments here; not so sure about the necklaces of beads though. Are we talking about light fishing with a couple of ozs. or a bit more beefy ?? Is the tide flow / direction important?? As you can see, I'm a complete novice here....... but can learn quickly !! Plan to go out with an old friend who lives in weymouth ....... but he is fishingly naive..... and looking to me for direction !! Any tips gladly received........ esp. from you successful plaice & turbot bashers! Cheers, Alun.

Duncan, No , not me!! I was on my own........... out in my little blue & white Orkney 4 40; also trying to figure out the vectoring of wind and tide ....... and disliking the bumpiness of wind over water!! Normally I anchor up or tie on to a buoy..... but yesterday had to drift. Question : when drifting and you get a bite, do you strike straight away ..... and miss lots of bream ?? At anchor I usually let them 'develop' a bit and hook more. Electrical problem solved...... blown fuses!!...... sea water getting into 'waterproof' fuse holder!!........ must have been all that bumping about. Roll on next CALM weekend........ tight lines, Alun.

Got out at last.....on what seemed a beautiful spring morn....with the sea warming quickly [ it's gone up 1.5 C in the past week] , it's now close to double figures [ surface water about 20 cms. down]. Stopped briefly on the Ledge and jigged a string of large Hokois whilst the tide was slack ...... and quicly found pollack....... masses of tiddlers in some spots... and a few larger , takeable ones in the deeper spots on the edge of the ledge...... a good start! Wanted to try Poole Patch by coming from Mudeford....... just under 6 miles from Ledge...... about 20 mins on a gentle sea..... but [ sods law] , just as I get close, up comes the wind and out goes my Garmin [ fish finder / depth gauge] { i feel blinded!!}....... wind over tide / very uncomfortable !! but I stuck around longer than all those trip / charter boats and picked up a few nice [blue / boy ] bream before the increasingly freshening wind started pushing disconcerting waves into the side of my little boat!! So I retreated [ slowly] back into Christchurch Bay, with a bit of shelter from Hengistbury, I used up my juicy ragworms hooking loads of small bass..... alas nothing sizeable [ whatever that might be these days ??] but it is good to see healthy stocks of little ones for future sport ?? Had to wait for enough water ,as I was gaugeless, and will now spend Sunday sorting out my electrical prob. Cheers, Alun.

Thanks for the welcome and rally call ; will leave plans until weather prospects are callable ......... not being a fan of bumping about !! But I do know I'm free all weekend as my wife's off on an art course and kids are away !! ...... come on SUN !!!! Alun.

Cheers Martin, I'll see how you and the fleet get on !! I have a friend with a larger boat than mine in Weymouth harbour; armed with some evidence, perhaps i can persuade him to take us out there ! What are the most productive tactics ?? ....... anchored or drifting ..... baited spoons on long traces ??..... with beads etc. ?? Alun.

Looks like quite a fleet steaming out..... in search of the plaice....... is the fishing there good / reliable ?? or does it have the 'Chesil' factor, where experience seldom matches expectation !! How do you reckon it compares to Poole ?? Could you tell me how far out of Weymouth the Shambles area is ? Is it very exposed ; or in other words could it be a consideration to be able to fish it , out in my little Orkney 4 40 ?? Given a suitable calm spell, I've been out off the Needles and regularly go out to the end of the Ledge ....... but quickly scuttle off if / when it blows up to 4 or 5 , when discomfort outweighs fishing pleasure.!. Roll on Spring, Alun.

Sounds like a true...... sea fisherman at heart ...... salty dog ?? Also prefer shorts, bare feet and the warm sun on my skin !! But DO NOT want to move to Spain / France like the missus seems to !! Blue water = poor fishing ....... I'll stick to our green stuff! Alun.

Hi Adam , Did you stick a thermometer in the river?? Bet it was cold as well as being much clearer than of late . The river water tumbling out of Christchurch harbour was only just above freezing this am., plus remains of snow / ice on margins. You did well to catch anything !! Did the afternoon sun thaw you out; what aspect was your swim facing ?? Could have been pleasant/ sun trap ??.......unlike at sea! Alun.

I've been stocking up with a selection of line [ braid and mono. ] bought through ebay. Be careful..... know a sensible price [incl. p&p.] and you can get what you want at around 1/2 price ! eg. 300 yds. whiplash / fireline...... around

Not at all Spring - like yet !! ..... possibly the coldest day I've been out this winter, due to that windchill..... force 4 N...... 3-4 C feels like -4 C ! Water temp. at its lowest....... 1.4 C at Mudeford 9am.,,,,,,,, out in the bay , just above or below 5 C.... [ this is the 'surface water' ..... about 1/2 m. down where the sensor is] ....... coldest I've recorded all winter Out all day.......escaping the chores ..... tried 4 marks...... with similar lack of success: * Ledge - doggies.....slow but steady........dogged action.....soon bored !! * Barton ...... wind - assisted drifts....... baited spoons/ beads..... 0 ! * Lookout ...... " "" "" "" "" 0 also ! * dropoff .... last hour.... scorpion fish.... interesting tiddlers !! but the sun came out , the wind dropped a bit and everything looked wonderful ; feeling the increasing warmth in that sun ......... washing the boat down at 6 it was still light; spring can't be far away and this cold snap will soon be gone !! Wonder why I didn't see not a single other boat fishing !!! Next week..... must stick to gardening... [ that's why I went out...... ground was frozen !!]. Supplies of frozen whiting fillets rapidly depleting..... will I have to buy fish soon? Alun.